Stair-templet.



PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

C. E. CORY. -STAIR TEMPLET. urmcumn FILED 3.24.1907.

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Inventor". Choris E. Cory. 29'

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CHARLES E. CORY, OF WATERTOWN, NEW YORK.

sTAIR-T MPLET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed April 24, 1907. Serial No. 369,912-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Onannns E; CORY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Watertown, in the county of Jefferson and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stair-Templets,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in stair templets or gages,designed for use by stair-builders for laying out their work, and theinvention relates particularly to an adjustable templet or gage for usein marking or locating the position and arrangement of the risers,treads and wedges of stair steps of varying sizes and forms.

The object of the invention is to provide a stair templet of the class,which is capable of being adjusted and set in a quick and ready manner,and then employed for laying-out or marking the stringers of stairwaysof that class in which the ends of the risers and treads of the stepsare set in mortises or gains formed in the face of the stringers, and bythe use of which the several steps of a stairway may be laid-outuniformly and true; a further object of the invention is to provide atemplet, which is capable of being adjusted and set for markingstairways having steps of the same, or dif- 2 5 ferent height andbreadth; a further object is to provide a templet which may be adjustedso that the stringers may be marked to receive risers and treads ofvarying thickness and also wedges for keying or tightening the saidparts, and a further object is to provide a device of the class which issimple, accurate and inexpensive, and which will stand considerable useand abuse and not get out of order.

The invention consists principally in providing a stock or handle, soconstructed and arranged that its inner side forms a straight-edgeadapted to bear against and conform to one edge of a stair stringer.

The invention further consists of a pair of blades or parts secured attheir inner ends to form a rigid and true right-angle, the outer or freeends thereof being adjustably mounted in. slots formed in the oppositeends of the stock, and the said blades when so mounted form-f ing withits straight-edge of the stock substantially a right-angled-triangle.

The invention further consists in providing a second pair of blades ormarkers and disposing them within the angular space formed by the firstnamed blades, and the invention further consists in providing means foradjusting and setting the blades in different positions in relation tothe handle or stock, and for adjusting and setting the inner blades todifferent positions in relation to the outer blades, and also to eachother.

Other features and parts of the invention will be fully understood fromthe detail description which follows, and by reference to theaccompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, and inwhich- Figure 1 is a plan view of my complete device, showing the sameset ready for marking stair steps. Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of thetemplet blades, on a large scale, showing manner of constructing andadjusting these parts. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view,substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing the construction of theadjustable nosing marker. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view,substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing construction andarrangement of the adjusting clamp carried by the stock.

Similar characters of reference are assigned to corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

2 represents a stock or handle, preferably made in the form shown in thedrawing, and comprising two oppositely-facing angular metallic parts 3and 4 of equal length and width, between which a metallic or woodenfilling-piece 5 is fitted.

5 represents a series of rivets or screws employed to bind the parts ofthe stock together. I

The inner edge or face of the stock comprising the oppositely-disposedflanges or leaves 6 of parts 3 and 4, are intended to serve as astraight-edge, the use of which will be explained hereinafter.

7 and 8 represent a pair of blades or parts, preferably made of steel,although wood, or any other suitable material may be employed in placeof steel. The said blades may be made to any suitable length, width andthickness, but preferably in the form shown, with their inner endssecured together by means of a screw 9, to form a rigid joint. The inneredges of these blades when so joined forming a member or part describingsubstantially a true right-angle. In layingout a stair, the blade or arm7 will represent the tread or horizontal part of a step, and its innerend preferably extends a slight distance beyond the outer edge of blade8, as at 10, to provide for marking the nosing or projecting edge of thetread-board. The blade 8 represents the riser or the vertical part of astep, which is invariably disposed in a stair at right-angles to thetread.

To facilitate attaching blades 7 and 8 to the stock or handle, in amanner to permit of their adjustment to suit the varied conditions whicharise in the building of stairs, slots 11 and 12 are formed transverselythrough stock 2, near its ends, into which the free ends of the bladesare inserted, and in which they are allowed enough freedom and range ofmovement to allow them to be shifted or adjusted in differentdirections, as may be required for the marking or laying-out of steps ofdifferent size. Fig. 1 of the drawing shows the templet set ready formarking a step having a six inch riser and a nine inch tread. It will beunderstood from this view, that steps varying within a Wide range, bothas to the height of the risers and breadth of the treads, may be markedor laid-out, simply by shifting the blades 7 and 8 and setting them todifferent positions in slots 11 and 12 of the handle.

It is rarely that two stairways are constructed exactly alike. Some varyin the height of the risers and also in the breadth of the treads; someare made of heavy lumber or material for the treads and light or thinmaterial for the iisers, while others are made with both the risers andtreads substantially of the same dimensions. In order to provide atemplet which may be adapted to these and other varying conditions, ithas been necessary to construct and arrange the parts of the device inapeculiar and novel manner. To that end, the blades 7 and 8 arepreferably made about onehalf an inch in width, and are therefore toonarrow to serve alone as a gage for marking the thickness of either therisers or treads of even the lightest stairways, and in order to carryout the purposes of my device, I provide a pair of secondary blades ormarkers 13 and 14, which should be made of the same material andsubstantially of the same thickness, but preferably narrower than theother blades. These latter blades are disposed inside the angle formedby the joining of blades 7 and 8, and preferably in the same plane. Theblade 13 is joined at its inner end to blade 8, which is provided with adeep mortise groove 15, cut in its inner edge to receive the tenoned end(not shown) of blade 13, which is held in place by a set-screw 16, andis adjustable by means of a slot 17 cut through blade 8. The object ofthis adjutsable feature is to permit blade 13 to be moved and set at agreater or less distance from the tread-blade 7, for the purpose oflaying-out treads of varying thickness. to blade 13 near the inner endof the latter by a set screw 18, and a slot 19 is cut through blade 13to permit blade 14 to be shifted toward or away from the riserblade 8.The free ends of blades 13 and 14 are also inserted in slots 11 and 12alongside of blades 7 and 8, and are adjustable with the latter. At thispoint, it may be well to explain, that in laying-out or marking a seriesof steps with my templet, the outer edges of blades 7 and 8 will alwaysrepresent an unchanging line, i. 0., the face of finish sides of boththe risers and treads, while any variation-increase or decrease in thethickness of these parts of the steps, will be provided for by shiftingthe wedge-blades 13 and 14, either toward or away from the blades 7 and8.

Many modern stairs are constructed by layingout and cutting gains ormortises in the sides of the wall and other stringers used to supportthe stairs, of a sufficient depth to receive and safely hold the ends ofthe risers and treads. These gains or depressions must be laid out withgreat care and then cut truly in order to erect a stair in a neat andworkmanlike manner. Heretofore stair-builders have laid out their workby the use of the common carpenters square, or with paper or sheet metaltemplets, which had to be prepared for each stair specially, and theserarely could be used a second time, because of the many variations instair construction. These old methods have always been slow and ofteninaccurate, and have therefore caused much delay, trouble and expense inthe building of stairs. But by the use of my adjustable templet or gage,the builder is able to adjust and set the device in a few minutes time,and to lay-out and mark the stair stringers in a ready and accuratemanner.

The stairways of the class described are built in such manner that whenthe ends of the risers and tread- Blade 14 is pivotally connectedboardsare inserted in the gains in the stringers, as explained, they are thenkeyed up with wedges, which are driven into the gains underneath thetread and also behind the riser. One wedge is employed for forcing thelower edge of the riser tight against the rear edge of the tread of thestep below, and at the same time forcing it outwardly against the finishside of the mortise. Then another wedge is driven under the rear edge ofthe tread to force it upwardly against the finish side of the othermortise. In this way all of the joints of a series of stair stepsareclosed up tight. In order to provide gains having a sui'licient space toreceive the wedges in addition to the risers and treads, the lowerportion of the riser gain is made half an inch or more wider than thethickness of the riser, and the rear portion of the tread gain is alsowidened in the same manner. To provide for properly marking the gains soas to allow space for both the step pieces and their wedges, blades 13and 14 are joined at their inner ends in the pivotal and adjustablemanner as described and shown. Under this construction and arrangementof these secondary blades, the outer or free ends when inserted in theslots 11 and 12, may be adjusted and set either parallel to the blades 7and 8, or they may be spread and held to any desired angle, to providefor the insertion of wedges of any suitable size behind and beneath therisers and treads.

In order to hold the free ends of the several blades rigidly in placeduring the interval of marking or laying-out a stair, Iprovideadjustable clamps or parts 20, which are arranged to slide inslots 21 formed through the angular part 4, at or near the ends of thehandle 2, and then in part 3 of the handle are formed slots 21, whichare disposed so as to register with the slots 21. Each clamp 20 isprovided with a raised portion 22, which loosely fits slots 21, and israised to an extent greater than the thickness of the metallic part 4,so that when it is drawn into slot 21 by means of the threaded stud 23and handnut or knob 24, it will engage the under sides of the blades andbind and hold them in the position to which they are set. The studs 23are rigidly set in the clamps 20, and are so disposed that they willpass between blades 7 and 13 at one end of the stock, and between blades8 and 14 at the other end, and the clamping-part 22 is made broad enoughto engage and bind the two blades, whether they are set close together,or some distance apart. The studs 23 are movable in slots 21 forshifting and setting clamps 20.

The inner end of blade 7, where it projects to represent the nosing ofthe tread, is provided with shallow recesses 25, which are formed oneach side of the blade in a manner to leave a thin central web 26,provided with a threaded hole 27.

28 represents a forked gage or marker which is pivoted to web 26 by aset-screw 29, which passes through the slotted arms of the fork and isthreaded into hole 27, and 30 represents a small circular hole near theouter end of the marker 28. The object of the marker 28 is to providemeans for marking the center of a circle which will represent thethickness of the tread and at the same time provide a circular fittingfor the nosing or projecting edge of the tread. When the builder hasadjusted the gage 28 to the proper position to indicate a circle ofsuitable diameter, he will mark the center of the circle by inserting alead pencil or awl through the hole 30. He will then use an anger orother boring bit f m 1 d1 1 to cut out that portion of the treadgain. Hewill mark I aces y at one en the other portions of the gains by drawinga pencil or other marking instrument along the outer edges of blades 7and 8 and also on the inner edges of blades 13 and 14.

31 represents graduations indicating inches and fractions thereof,marked on the sides of blades 7 and 8, for use in setting the templetparts to exact measurements.

To set the templet for marking the steps of a stairway, the builder willfirst make a diagram or plan of the style and size of one of the steps.He will then lay the templet upon the drawing, after having loosened theseveral set-screws, and adjust the several blades and the stock and alsothe nosing marker to conform to the outline. He will next tighten up theset-screws and clamps, and the device will be ready for use. But onesetting or adjusting of my templet isrequired for marking the'oppositelyfacing or right and left handed stringers: one stringer being markedwith the iace side up, and the other being marked with the face sidedown.

All ol the blades oi my templet are preferably arranged in the sameplane, so that either side will lie flat upon the stringers while themarking is being done, and the set-screws are. all counter-sunk to maketheir heads flush with the sides of the blades.

By the use of my adjustable templet, a builder may save a great deal oitime in arranging for and laying-out his work, as it requires but a fewminutes to adjust and set the device for steps of any particular size,and the marking when done will be reliable and accurate.

Obviously some changes or modifications may be made in the parts of thedevice without departing from the spirit of my invention, and Itherefore do not restrict mysell to the precise construction andarrangement of the same as herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a marker for stairs, the combination with a slotted stock having astraight-edge on one side, of a pair of graduated blades joined at theirinner ends toform a right'angle, the free ends of said blades adapted toadjustably tit in the slots in said stock, a second pair of bladesdisposed within the angle formed by the first named blades, the innerends of said blades being pivotally and adjustably joined together andalso connected to said first named blades, the outer ends thereofadjustably fitting the said slots of said stock, and means for holdingall of said blades in different positions in relation to said stock,substantiallyns described.

2. A marker for stairs of the class described, comprising a slottedhandle, a pair of blades oined at their inner ends to form a right'anglcadjustably mounted in the slots of said handle, a pair. of secondaryblades pivotally joined at their inner ends and adjustably hinged to oneof said first named blades, a pair of screw'clamps carried by saidhandle adapted lohold all of said blades in a number of positions inrelation to said handle, substantially as described.

'member adjustably angle adjustably mounted of secondary bladespivotally joined at their 3. A stair templet of the class described,comprising a d to form substana right-angle adapted for marking theposition of the risers and ,treads of a stairway, a pair of wedgemarkersdisposed within the angle formed by joining the said blades, the saidwedge-markers being pivotally connected near their inner ends, and oneof said wedgemarkers being pivotally connected to one of said blades,and a stock having one side formed into a double straightedge and havingslots formed near the ends thereof adapted to receive the free ends ofsaid blades and also said wedgemarkers, substantially as described.

4. A stair templet, comprising a pair of blades joined near their innerends'to form a right-angle, one 01 said blades adapted for marking theposition 01 the riser and the other of said blades adapted for markingthe position of the tread-board of a stair-step, a series of graduationson said blades to indicate the height and breadth of a stairstep, a pairor independent marking-blades pivotally joined together and connectedwith said riser-blade, a handle having a straightedge and having slotsadapted to receive and adjustably hold the free ends of all .ot'saidblades, and an independent adjustable for locating the nosing of a stairtread, substantially as described.

' 5. A stair templet or gage, comprising a slotted stock having one sideformed into a straight-edge, an angular for partially marking gains forthe risers and treads of a stair, a pair of blades adjustably connectedwith each other and also with said angular member, adapted forcompleting the marking of the gains for the risers and treads and alsofor the insertion of wedges, and a clamping-stud carried by each end ofsaid stock adapted to hold said member and said blades in position whenadjusted, substantially as described.

(3. A device of the class described, comprising a slotted handle, atemplet-member comprising two arms joined together to form by theirinner edges :1 right-angle, the free mounted in slots in said stockadapted ends of said member being adjustably mounted in slots in saidhandle, a pair of wedge-blades adjustably connected to each other andalso to said templetmember and having their free ends inserted in theslots of said handle, the said wedgeblades adapted to coilperate withsaid templet-member to form a gage for marking inortises for the risersand treads of a stairway, and an adjustable nosing-marker connected tosaid templet-member, substantially as described.

7. A marker for stairs, comprising a slotted handle, a pair of bladesjoined at their inner ends to form a right in the slots of said handle,

and a pair inner ends and connected to one of said first named blades,substantially as described. a p

S. A stair templet, comprising a handle having two op positely facingslots in each end thereof, a pair of blades joined at right-anglesadjustably fitting corresponding slots in said handle, a pair ofwedge-blades adjustably hinged at their inner ends to each other andalso to one of said first named blades, and a pair of studs passingthrough the handle and between the free ends oi said blades adapted toclamp and hold all 01" said blades rigidly when adjusted, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof l afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. CORY.

